323 Best Restaurants in Mexico

This longtime favorite is the place for a tasty traditional meal. The interior decoration is typical Puebla—complete with tile floors, colorful murals, and a newspaper stand inside—as is the menu. The mole is as traditional as it comes, and the sopa poblana (a cream soup with poblano chilies, mushrooms, and corn) is exceptional. This is also a great place to enjoy grilled meat.

Renowned for birria, this unfussy restaurant popular with families and locals serves a few kinds of the spicy stew popular in western Mexico states like Michoacán, including surtida (goat and a mix of other meaty bits like ribs, tongue, skin, and such) and the less adventurous but still robustly flavorful maciza (with pork). Expect a crowd—and maybe a wait—on weekends, when there's also sometimes mariachi music. It's on the city's south side, about 1 mile from UNAM (it's a short Uber ride from Universidad metro).

Deliciously prepared chiles rellenos—stuffed with cheese, beef, fish, and vegetables—are the attraction at Miguel's; the signature version is made with shrimp. Look for the sign out front claiming these are the main attraction, as well as the faded but framed New York Times article, which proclaims them the best in all of Baja.

If you are looking for an authentic taco joint where the locals go, this is the place. The tacos al pastor, carved from a vertical spit, are big, juicy, and inexpensive. Add a cup of frijoles charros (beans and pork soup), and you have one of the best cheap meals you will find on the island.

This fantastic stop for breakfast and lunch serves fresh, delicious food in a pleasant environment. Try the eggs Benedict and homemade muffins.

The menu here is as an encyclopedic take on Yucatecan cuisine, with everything from salbutes to start to manjar blanco (a milk-based delicacy) for dessert. Before sitting down to eat in the courtyard or one of the rooms that open onto it, explore the modest displays on regional food in the colonial-style building and Maya-style houses in the garden. There are also cooking demonstrations, including those using the traditional method for cooking cochinita pibil, buried in a pit in the ground.

The menu of this sleek corner space with striking ceramics and statuary lining the walls celebrates the flavorful cuisine of the scenic mountain town of Malinalco, about 70 miles southwest of Mexico City. Some of the more interesting dishes include a starter of chilacayote squash with mint and citrus and a yellow-tomato pico de gallo salsa, and a main dish pork ribs served with a rich red mole sauce.

The cavernous space, lined in red brick, makes the restaurant look rather generic, but it's actually family-owned and run and oh-so-personable. Try the regional dishes like goat stew and enchiladas, pizza, or a daily special such as beef tongue or jocoque (strained yogurt). It's named for the small town 14 km (9 miles) from Mascota, not the Christmas holiday, which is the only day this restaurant closes. 

If you’ve been dreaming about Oaxacan cuisine, but don’t have the time to travel there, this authentic restaurant that serves up breakfast, lunch, and early dinners is the next best thing. Service can be a bit chaotic but always friendly, and the quality of the food makes up for any wait. It tends to get very busy for lunch, and that crowd spills out of the eatery's brick walls onto the sidewalk.

Based on seating availability alone, this is, without question, the most popular restaurant in Cabo San Lucas. Day and night, the place is packed, thanks to its well-prepared and well-portioned seafood-based menu and drinks, as well as its history of being the first-ever palapa to grace Médano Beach's sandy shore. It's a bit touristy, for sure, but the near-perfect views of El Arco and the merry atmosphere make up for it.

A second-story restaurant that overlooks the activity of La Crucecita's zócalo, Onix is emblematic of the high-concept development that has sprung up around Huatulco to complement its luxury resorts. Options on the ambitious menu include lobster with four butters, fragrant with local flavors such as epazote and chipotle. The wine selection is better than average.

Don't let the bare walls and basic furniture fool you—this restaurant, a few blocks east of Parque Mejorada, offers one of Mérida's best dining experiences. Chefs Xóchitl Valdés and Selena Cárdenas have impressed gourmets with their celebration of corn, the basis of many of the dishes served here. Before you leave, stop in at the adjacent store, which sells local honey and honey products, from candies to shampoo. 

In the evening this patio restaurant is bathed in candlelight and the glow from tiny white lights decorating the tropical shrubs. Much of the menu, as well as the decor, is geared toward tourists—you can even buy a Pancho's T-shirt on your way out. Although you won't find authentic Yucatecan dishes at this lively spot, the tasty tacos, fajitas, burritos, and other dishes will be pleasantly recognizable to those familiar with Mexican food served north of the border. Waiters—dressed in white muslin shirts and pants of the Revolution era—recommend the shrimp flambéed in tequila, and the tequila in general. Happy hour is weekdays from 6 to 8 pm.

Sample one or several of the more than 500 tequilas available and you'll surely appreciate the rainbow-color Oaxacan tablecloths, murals, painted chairs, and streamers even more than you did when you first arrived. Coat your stomach in the process with dishes from different states throughout Mexico: mole from Puebla, carne asada from Sonora, tamales from Oaxaca, and seafood from Baja are just some of the tasty items you can order. Note: though many souvenir shops advertise "complimentary" tequila tastings, this is the place to actually do it; they're available every evening with advanced reservation.

Memorializing two local kids who became Mexican legends—movie star Pedro Infante and ranchera singer Lola Beltrán—Pedro y Lola is the most upscale of several fine restaurants that ring the romantic Plazuela Machado. Its seafood dishes are as authentic and creative as the restored 19th-century building it inhabits. Shrimp is the specialty, but try the papillot, the day's catch cooked in foil with white wine, shrimp, and mushrooms. Music is also on the menu. There's a piano bar inside and sometimes a harmless rock combo; a guitar soloist serenades diners outside.

This stylish mid-century-modern lunchroom offers a contemporary take on classic Mexican and American comfort fare, like ham-turkey-gouda sandwiches with a fried egg on top, cochinita pibíl, and beef milanesa tortas with salsa verde. There's nothing fancy about this place, but it's great for a light in-between meal, late-night snack (it's open til 11 pm), or breakfast, which features a similarly extensive variety of favorites, from huevos rancheros to French toast slathered in berries and agave honey. There are several other locations around the city. 

With several branches across the city, Peltre is an easy budget option in ritzy Polanco. Like traditional loncherías, this modern version has an extensive menu covering everything from chilaquiles negros to sopa Aguascalientes. The coffee (direct from Coatepec, Veracruz) and freshly squeezed juices make this relaxed eatery a favorite among local students and businesspeople.

Come hungry to Piña Loca; all portions in this simple restaurant are huge but without the huge bill to match. Try the fajitas in lava bowls, the burrito norteño, or the shrimp salad. Tip: most plates are large enough for two people!

One thing you can always count on in Mexico City, and Mexico for that matter, is excellent roasted chicken. While popular with locals, the dish is often overlooked by foreigners in favor of flashy tacos, but you should visit this small, sidewalk eatery and try its delicious marinated chicken; there are also grilled vegetables and salsas to make your own tacos. Grab an order to go (which many people do) or take a seat on one of the benches backed up to the street.

The internationally acclaimed chef at Pujol, Enrique Olvera, continuously reinvents traditional Mexican dishes and their presentation, and is largely responsible for the country's gastronomic revolution. The dining experience here can be described as educational and hedonistic, and the seven-course menus are designed to create a holistic flavor experience. There is also a 10-course taco menu available, with drink pairings included. Despite the rave reviews it receives from critics, Pujol has fallen out of favor locally after many accusations of terrible labor practices.

This grandly turreted brick building was once the summer home of the Braniff family, former owners of the defunct airline. The house specialty is chamorro, pork shank wrapped in banana leaves. A patio overlooks the boardwalk and is inviting in the evening.

This outdoor restaurant is one of a handful of eateries along the lakeside in Teuchitlán. While not fancy, it offers a variety of Mexican dishes, including fish, molcajetes dishes of mixed meats, cheese, and vegetables in a stone bowl), and fajitas, and provides a grand view of the lake teeming with fish and birds including herons and pelicans. There's also a fish pond where kids can borrow a homemade rod for some catch and release. As you turn into the street, don't feel pressured by the parking attendants at the other restaurants who will make attempts to get you into their locales.

This quaint restaurant is small but cozy, and serves traditional homemade dishes and wood-oven pizzas. Sit at the outside tables and get a good view of the quiet life in the main square.

From the balcony of this cheerful second-story restaurant you'll have a great view of the goings-on in the zócalo. Brightly colored cloths adorn the tables, where house specialties—including cecina con enchiladas (salted beef with spicy enchiladas) and rellenos al gusto (green chilies stuffed with chicken, cheese, or beef)—are served by the friendly staff. There's free Wi-Fi for diners, so you if you bring your laptop you can check your e-mail while you eat.

Many people stop here for a breakfast of enchiladas and refried beans before heading to El Tajín.

This intimate spot has excellent food and hanging lamps and masks. You'll find a fairly typical selection of meat, poultry, and seafood dishes, including salmon with grilled onions and spicy chile de árbol sauce and steak with a savory mustard sauce, but the favorites are garlic-and-shrimp soup and the queso al cilantro, fried cheese on a bed of potato skins, covered with salsa verde.

El Coral serves generous portions of seafood in a relaxed environment facing the beach. It's a favorite among those heading out on a tour of the Marietas Islands and for surfers who come to ride the waves at El Anclote.

At the town’s most comfortable eatery, tables draped in white linen sit under a wide palapa that's surrounded by plants and with a burbling fountain. In a small hut in the back, the cooks make tortillas by hand, and menu highlights include locally made longaniza (a tasty grilled pork sausage) and excellent sopa de lima. A small shop sells carefully selected and cleverly displayed local folk art.

Residents of Izamal have strong opinions on which restaurants make the best panuchos, salbutes, papadzules, and other local specialities, but Restaurante Muul is on many short lists. The atmosphere is no-frills, though the location is convenient, right on the main plaza just steps from the ex-convent.